Child&#39;s convertible vehicle



1951 B. G. GELLENBECK' 2,577,459

CHILDS CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE Filed Feb. 24, 1948 2 SHEETS--SHEET lINVENTOR ATTORNEY Dec. 4, 1951 B. G. GELLENBECK 2,577,459

CHILDS CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE Filed Feb. 24, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Ear a01/0 6 6; e//enbec/4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1951 either ascooter. a wagon, or-a sl'ed;"and 'has for its object to combinetherriinto-a single-structure composed-of two elements whereby the samevehicle maybe used as a wheeled veliicle when no snow is availablaor" asa sled.

Incertain sections of "the country-the fall of snow is eitherf so rareor of such a temporary character thatsleds are notpractical andtherefore.v the children are depriyed 'of the thrill o'f coasting when afall of'snow does occur, since their wheeled. vehicle s do not lendthemselves to playing in the snow. It is 'to'supply this need thatI"-have devised'= the -"following described vehiole which may be changedfrom a wheeledvehicle i a .s edias may lee-degrades the child- Theobjects of this invention are to provide such a structure wherein the,relative. positions ofithe two elements thereof mayjbe invertedandthereby change'the' character Q'flthe vehicle, and whereby, this changemay bemade withouthaving to operateany' screws or 'bolts and yet whichwill be perfectly secure in either of its two positions; to provide sucha simple structure that the child himself may do the convertin withouthelp; to provide means for holding the handle in stowed position ifdesired; and to provide a vehicle which will be readily made and whichis of a durable character.

I attain these and other objects as may be clear to those making, owningor using the vehicle by the devices and arrangements illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of thevehicle used as a wagon; Fig. 2 is a coordinated view of the secondelement forming the sides of the wagon, removed therefrom and partlybroken away to reveal its construction; Fig. 3 is a crosssection of thevehicle when used as a sled; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the secondelement, when inverted; Fig. 5 is a similar view of the first elementforming the wheeled vehicle, with its tongue or handle turned under andready to be inserted in the second element shown in Fig. 4, to form asled; and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the vehicle when used as asled.

Identical numerals of reference refer to the same parts throughout theseveral views.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 5 the element forming the wheeled vehiclecomprises a platform I0 mounted on wheels II and having its side edgesnotched at I2 in four places, the notches I2 on one side of the platformI0 corresponding with those of the other side. The rear wheels II aremounted on a. fixed axle:v I3 secured to theplatform III by ametal-frame I4. (Fig.3). The-central partofthe axle I3 is bent upwardat? I5to make room for the hereinafter described tongue or handle IBwhen? its stowed position. A double spring; clip 'I 'Iis secured to theunder side of 'theplatform- II! to receive and holdthe said handle I6when thus stowed.

The'front wheels II are mounted on the front axle I 8which-"is'journaled in the legs I9 or-"a. fraine 20 (Fig; 6),which-ispivoted at at to the under side of the: platform" I Il and whichhas an extensio'niz to whichtheltongueor handle I 6 is secure'gtbya'horizpntal pivot 2 3. The-handle easy be curved-"or slightly bent asat 24-.- I Thiswheeledfvehiclaabove described; may be used alqne as ,a',scooter,being steered by "the handle. I6. turni he. rame 01 1 9 ii v It'may also'beus'edfasa wagon by theaddition hre o th t ine es r be Secqne l a w a allel. i e Wa l .5,; eg1 red together b ross bra e 26 an y ahorizontal'memb'er'fl." The central part of'this member 21 is cut out sothat the above-described platform III of the first element fits neatlytherein. The opening thus made in the member 21 extends outside of thewalls 25 and is provided with a grooved hand rail 28 along its sideedges to provide a suitable hand hold when the vehicle is used as asled. The top edges of the side walls 25 form shoulders in the opening,on which the edges of the platform I0 rest (Fi 3).

The side walls 25 are provided with four down ward extending lips ortenons 29 which fit snugly in the notches I2 in the sides of theplatform I II. The depth of the tenons 29 is equal to the thickness ofthe platform III, the horizontal member 21 and the hand rails 28 so thatall their contiguous surfaces are coplanar and so that when theapparatus above described is inverted to extend below the platform I0(Figs. 3, 6) as hereinafter described, they together form a continuoushorizontal surface.

m nt. s own nf The second element of my improved childs vehiclecomprising mainly the sides 25 may be removed from the wagon as abovedescribed, and reversed, then the handle I 6 may be turned rearward 0nthe pivot 2| under the platform I0 and slipped into the holding clip I lwhich thus retains it in place in such reversed position. The wheeledstructure may then be lifted and inserted downward in the opening in thehorizontal member 21, thus bringing the wheels I I inside of the walls25 (Fig. 3). The said walls 25 extend downward below the wheels ll so asto provide sufficient clearance thereunder when the vehicle is used as asled. The front ends of the side walls 25 are inclined to form theaccepted shape of sled runners. A suitable metal strip 30 is secured tothe exposed edges of the runners 25 to form the usual sled runners.Holes 3| are provided to receive the usual sled rope.

Thus it will be seen that my convertible child's vehicle provides achoice of three vehicles in one structure. When used as a scooter, theother element is laid aside and the handle I6 is released from the clipI! and turned on its pivot 2! to the position shown in Fig. 1 and thenswung backward on the pivot 23 to steer the scooter. If it is desired touse it as a wagon, the second element is placed over the scooterplatform, the walls 25 extending upward therefrom, the tenons or lugs 29fitting in the notches l 2 on the scooter edges, as in Fig. 1. If thevehicle is to be used as a sled the second element is removed from thescooter and inverted, then the scooter is inserted in the opening in thesaid second element and is held in suspended position by its edgesresting on the shoulders formed by the upper edges of the runners 25,the lugs or tenons 29 entering the notches I2 in the reversed order thanwhen used as a wagon.

It is, of course, understood that many changes may be made in thedetails of construction without departing from the spirit of myinvention as outlined in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In a convertible vehicle, the combination of a wheeled platform and aremovable frame member comprising a complete structure of side walls andcross braces and adapted to be removably secured to said wheeledplatform in either of two inverted positions, and extending above thewheeled platform in one position and below said platform in the otherposition, said removable frame member being wider than said wheeledplatform, and said side walls being deeper than 4 said wheeled platform,whereby they form enclosing sled runners.

2. In a convertible vehicle, the combination of a member having a flattop, cross braces, and vertical side walls, said fiat top having anopening therein, said side walls forming shoulders in said opening; anda wheeled platform removably secured and fitting in said opening andsupported by said shoulders and adapted to lie in either of tworelatively inverted positions in said opening whereby, when in oneposition said side walls form the runners of a sled and the wheels ofsaid wheeled body lie suspended under the sled, and in the secondposition said side walls form the side walls of a wheeled vehicle.

3. In a convertible vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein saidwheeled platform is provided with suitable notches correspondinglypositioned in its side edges, and said side walls are provided withcoordinated tenons extending from its edges and adapted to fit in saidnotches to secure the said parts together.

4. The combination with a wheeled platform; of a removable framedstructure adapted to fit around said platform in either of twopositions, said structure having side walls and end braces, said sidewall-s being deeper than the wheeled platform and forming sled runnerswhen inverted over the sides of the wheeled platform, and forming awagon box when placed on top of said wheeled platform.

BENJAMIN G. GELLENBECK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,075,336 Custer Oct. 14, 19131,312,444 Jackson Aug. 5, 1919 1,728,587 Aldridge Sept. 17, 19291,810,997 Bauer June 23, 1931

